The work draws on the Japanese art of kirigami – a variation on the more well-known art of origami paper-folding – which involves both cutting and folding two-dimensional (2D) sheets of material to form three-dimensional (3D) shapes.
Specifically, the researchers have developed a new technique that involves using kirigami to convert 2D sheets into curved 3D structures by cutting parallel slits across much of the material. The final shape of the 3D structure is determined in large part by the outer boundary of the material. For example, a 2D material that has a circular boundary would form a spherical 3D shape.
“We have defined and demonstrated a model that allows users to work backwards,” said Yaoye Hong, first author of a paper on the work and a PhD student at NC State. “If users know what sort of curved 3D structure they need, they can use our approach to determine the boundary shape and pattern of slits they need to use in the 2D material. Additional...